The present invention relates in general to a gaming device and method, and more particularly to a gaming device and method for enhancing the issuance or transfer of an award to increase player excitement and enjoyment.
Gaming machines currently emit or provide sounds as the gaming machines pay out or issue a number of coins or tokens to a player. Typically, the machines emit or provide a familiar bell sound or ding to a player. The machines time the sound emission to correspond to the time when a coin or token contacts the bottom of a payout tray. When multiple coins or tokens contact the tray in a sequence, the machines emit or provide the payout sounds to correspond to the sequence. In effect, current gaming machines simulate an amplified version of the sound that the actual coins or tokens make when they contact or strike the surface of the payout tray. When the machine issues one coin or token, the existing machines make one sound. When the machine issues many coins or tokens, the existing machines make a plurality of the same sounds.
The purpose of emitting or providing these sounds, which correspond to the frequency of the payout, is to increase player enjoyment and excitement by enhancing the payout to the player and by magnifying and intensifying the payout. Additionally, other players hear the payout sounds, which increases their excitement, enjoyment and expectation of success. These sounds also create an overall excitement in the gaming area.
Gaming machines have historically employed a single bell or ding sound as described above. The implementor of the device can program the gaming device to vary the single sound either by making it louder or making it occur more frequently. However, there exists a level above which the amplitude or loudness of the sound will begin to disturb or hurt the eardrums of a player and surrounding players. There also exists a frequency level above which a player will not be able to discern one sound from another. In such case, the player will perceive one continuous sound. Thus, the known methods limit the ability of gaming devices to enhance excitement during payouts or credit transfers, such as a transfer from a bonus round to the base game as described below. A need exists for a method to enhance the excitement of relatively larger payouts, wherein many coins are paid out over an extended time period. A need also exists to develop a method that recognizes higher frequencies of payout issuance, wherein many coins are paid out at once.
It is also desirable to enhance a player""s enjoyment whenever the game awards credits to a player. Normally, when the player succeeds at the normal or base game of the gaming device, the game awards electronic credits and updates the player""s credit display. Further, to enhance player enjoyment and excitement, gaming manufacturers have provided players with machines having bonus schemes. The bonus schemes give players multiple opportunities to receive relatively large payouts over and above the player""s success in the base game.
The bonus scheme provides a game within the game, and consequently, a separate and distinct payout from that of the base game. Typically, the payout of a bonus scheme is either an addition of game credits to the player""s total game credits or a multiplication of the amount of base game credits that the player has bet before entering the bonus round. In both the base and bonus games, the payout often does not involve actual coins or tokens that contact the bottom of a payout tray.
While the gaming device can employ the typical ding or bell sound when the game electronically transfers credits to or updates the player""s base game credit total from the bonus round, the significance of emulating or magnifying the actual sound of a coin or token contacting the payout tray is lost. It is therefore desirable to create another method of audibly recognizing, celebrating and enhancing the player""s success in a bonus round that preferably corresponds to the bonus scheme. The method should also correspond to the overall theme of the gaming device so that the base game can employ the method whenever the player""s award is an electronic addition or transfer of credits rather than an actual payout.
Newer gaming machines typically contain a video display or touch screen that enables the newer machines to display images that older machines could not display. Gaming machines containing a video display or touch screen have the capability to visually enhance a payout or transfer. It is therefore further desirable to create a device and method for enhancing payouts or transfers that incorporate both visual and audio displays in accordance with the base game and bonus scheme themes.
The present invention provides a gaming device and method of enhancing a gaming device award, which overcomes the limitations of known enhancement methods. When a player playing a gaming device receives an award, the present invention preferably employs both a visual and an audio display to enhance the award. However, it should be appreciated that the present invention contemplates using the audio display and the visual display separately during a payout or transfer. Further, the present invention could provide only a visual or only an audio display. When in combination, the visual and audio displays preferably relate to each other to form an overall theme. For example, the game could display a musician singing a song. The overall theme of the audio and visual displays preferably relates to a theme of the payout mechanism; i.e., a winning set of reels, a bonus scheme, or a cash-out. The present invention contemplates selectively adding one or more overlapping audio and visual displays at certain set points during the transfer.
The method employs a video monitor, a plurality of speakers, a controller having a sound card, one or more timers or a counter, and at least one of the payout mechanisms described above. The payout mechanisms trigger a transfer of credits. For purposes of this application, a transfer includes an issuance of an award from a winning spin of a set of reels, a cash-out where base game credits are transferred to coins or tokes, and a bonus scheme payout where bonus awards are transferred to base game credits. The video monitor displays a plurality of visual displays which comprise one or more static or animated video signals. The speakers emit or provide a plurality of audio displays or sounds that comprise one or more audio signals.
The method accommodates the theme and nuances of any payout mechanism by selectively adding one or more audio or visual signals at certain set-points. The set points of the present method are either points in time during the transfer, percentages of total payment during the transfer, or numbers of credits transferred. In one embodiment, a timer begins to run as soon as an award is triggered. The set points of the timer direct the processor of the gaming device to add one or more displays, or one or more components or signals of a display. Alternatively, a counter begins to count as soon as the gaming device begins to issue or transfer credits. During the payout, the processor uses the count to determine the percentage of the total award that has been paid. The gaming machine""s memory device stores percentage set points. The percentage set points of the memory also direct the processor of the gaming device to add or subtract displays or signals during the payout or credit transfer. The timer and the counter provide two separate embodiments of the invention.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the audio and visual displays accumulate so that after any given set-point, the monitor displays and the speakers emit more signals than before the set point. After a predetermined time period or after a predetermined percentage of the payout has occurred (i.e., a set point is reached), the gaming device increases or adds additional sounds to the audio production and additional video to the visual display (audio production and video display a hereafter referred to collectively as xe2x80x9cthe displaysxe2x80x9d). The displays become richer and fuller as the player""s credit display increases or coins in the coin tray increase.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the displays can add, discontinue, or reactivate any video or audio signal in accordance with the award method theme or any of the payout mechanism themes. The richness or fullness of the displays can fluctuate from set point to set point. This alternative embodiment addresses the need to more appropriately enhance a high frequency issuance or transfer of credits.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a gaming device and method for enhancing the issuance or transfer an award.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts, elements, components, steps and processes.